Those who use Twitter know about Twitter clients: third party programs that bring the features of the popular social networking site to the desktop. Such clients typically offer features not part of the web experience, such as support for multiple accounts or embedded content from links. Some like them for the desktop notifications alone. There used to be hundreds of Twitter clients, but they’ve seen a decline recently.
There aren’t many Reddit clients right now – the idea hasn’t taken off in a big way. But there are a few, and if you’re at all interested in streamlining your Reddit experience I highly recommend you check them out.
Are you confused about Reddit in general? Read our Reddit manual, then come back. We’ll start with the most full-featured Reddit client and outline some simpler ones.
Reditr
Simply put, this is currently the best Reddit client for Windows out there. All of your subreddits are organized into tiles, full-text versions of articles are embedded above comments thanks to Readability, and all images can be quickly previewed by simply hovering your mouse.
And, of course, you can comment, post and vote from within the program. It really unifies the Reddit experience. It’s a project that’s underway, and you might run into a few bugs, but if you consider yourself a power-user of Reddit there’s no reason not to check out Reditr today.
Reditr isn’t just for Windows – there’s a Mac and a Linux version. Read my full review of Reditr if you want more information, but please note, there have been many improvements since it was written.
Windows 8 Apps For Reddit
If you’re a Windows 8 user, good news – the Metro interface seems to have inspired more than a few people to create Reddit clients. For example, there’s RedditToGo, which offers and intuitive experience for Windows 8.
Browse your favorites – you can even see a full version of a linked-to website alongside the Reddit-powered comments.
But that’s not the only Reddit app offered in the Microsoft Store: it’s simply the top-rated one. If you don’t like Reddit To Go there’s always Snoo for Reddit and Charming Reddit, two Windows 8 clients for Reddit we’ve yet to review here. Their layout and function is similar to RedditToGo in my experience, but if you prefer one app over another please, let us know below.
Pokki Apps For Reddit
Of course some people don’t have Windows 8 – and others who have it and wish they didn’t. It’s why Pokki, a Windows app that adds smartphone-style ‘apps’ to the Windows taskbar went out of its way to provide a start menu for Windows 8 users.
But a replacement start menu isn’t the only thing Pokki brings – there are also a couple of Reddit apps that bring the best of the web to your taskbar. Reddi, for example, is a quick way to see what’s popular on Reddit. You sadly cannot sign into your account, but if all you want is the occasional distraction, Reddi provides a quick popup for the task
If you’re more concerned about not missing any messages from other Reddit users, however, you should check out Oranged, which adds the Reddit inbox to your Windows taskbar. With this Pokki app you’ll be notified every time someone responds or PMs you on Reddit.
Notifications
Of course, if all you want is notifications, you should check out RedditNotify. This handy tray icon lets you know when someone contacts you on Reddit, right from the Windows tray.
If you’d rather avoid installing a separate program for this, consider Reddit Desktop Notifications for Chrome, a browser extension that serves a similar function.
Browser Plugins Of Note
We’ve drifted from desktop clients at this point, but no list of Reddit power tools is complete without bringing up the Reddit Enhancement Suite. This browser – for most major browsers – adds a variety of functions to Reddit you won’t believe weren’t there to begin with. Check out Josh’s piece on using Reddit like a boss for more information – you’ll be glad you did.
Other Operating Systems
That’s most of the Windows-based tools I can think of, but if you’re like most people, you use more than one platform at this point. If you’ve got an Android phone or tablet, for example, you’ll be happy to know about Reddit Is Fun, a great Android Reddit Client. There are actually several Android apps for Reddit, if you dig long enough.
If you’re an Apple fan, know that Alien Blue is a superb iPad app for Reddit (at least, according to James. I don’t always trust him).
Know Of Any Others?
I have to say, I was surprised how hard it was to find a wide variety of Reddit clients for Windows. Do you know of any others? If so, please share them in the comments below, along with your thoughts about the above choices.
The post Take Reddit Out Of The Browser With These 7 Desktop Reddit Clients [Windows] appeared first on MakeUseOf.
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